What do you do when you can’t afford your mother’s critical medication, your house is being foreclosed upon and you just can’t seem to make ends meet? If your answer is kidnap three rich socialites and make their fathers pay one million dollars each for their safe return, you just might sympathize with the lead character of The Entitled. “I didn’t do it out of greed or envy,” our slightly twisted protagonist Paul Dynan (Kevin Zegers) says at the beginning of the film. “I did it because there was nowhere else to go.” While the opening line may be a little scoff-worthy, as the movie progresses one starts to see how his plan might be justifiable, even smart. By the twisty end, you’ll be reluctantly admitting that his plan was actually pretty damn clever - now if only the movie itself wasn’t so damn boring. The Entitled is one of those psychological thrillers that, try as it might, can’t escape the painful truth: it isn't nearly as provocative as it thinks it is.
In the “making of” featurette on the Blu-ray edition of The Entitled, writer/executive producer William Morrisey says that his hope for the movie was that the audience would leave the theatre (home theatre that is) saying, “You know, I didn’t expect that ending. It was more interesting, more thoughtful maybe, than the standard shoot ‘em up, cops running around routine.” While the ending of The Entitled may be slightly more intelligent than your average cop thriller, it’s pretty safe to assume that the cop thriller would be a far more entertaining ride. With two frustratingly psychotic accomplices that throw the whole plan into chaos and an overall dissatisfying group of young actors, the unremarkable journey will cause many to give up before they even reach the destination. Maybe if the filmmakers had thrown in a little tongue-in-cheek fun to the antics of Paul’s trigger-happy cohorts or allowed Paul to crack a facial expression once in a while (devilish or guilt-ridden, just give us an personality here!), The Entitled just might have been enjoyable.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
An entirely predictable alternate ending and the previously mentioned “making of” piece sum up the special features.
"The Entitled" is on sale September 6, 2011 and is rated R. Thriller. Directed by Aaron Woodley. Written by William Morrissey. Starring Kevin Zegers, Ray Liotta, Dustin Milligan.
